1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tap line pliers and more particularly pertains to removing refrigerant from a line of a refrigeration system with tap line pliers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of clamping devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, clamping devices heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of removing refrigerant from refrigeration systems are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, Mullins U.S. Pat. 3,448,758 discloses a refrigerant service valve; Roven U.S. Pat No. 3,817,271 discloses a refrigeration by-pass and service valve; U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,642 discloses a refrigerant dryer service valve; Snyder U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,624 discloses a line piercing valve assembly; and Furmanek U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,633 which discloses a CFC recycling system.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe tap line pliers that clamp and lock onto refrigerant lines for tapping, tap refrigerant lines for subsequent draining, and allow an external recovery system to be coupled thereto for collecting refrigerant.
In this respect, the tap line pliers according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of removing refrigerant from a line of a refrigeration system.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for new and improved tap line pliers which can be used for removing refrigerant from a line of a refrigeration system. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.